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RTRIM (Transact-SQL)

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Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics Analytics Platform System (PDW) SQL analytics endpoint in Microsoft Fabric Warehouse in Microsoft Fabric

Returns a character string after truncating all trailing spaces.

Removes space character char(32) or other specified characters from the end of a string.

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

Syntax for SQL Server prior to SQL Server 2022 (16.x):

RTRIM ( character_expression )

Syntax for SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and later, Azure SQL Managed Instance, Azure SQL Database, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Microsoft Fabric:

Important

You will need your database compatibility level set to 160 to use the optional characters argument.

RTRIM ( character_expression , [ characters ] )

Arguments

character_expression

An expression of character or binary data. character_expression can be a constant, variable, or column. character_expression must be of a data type, except text, ntext, and image, that is implicitly convertible to varchar. Otherwise, use CAST to explicitly convert character_expression.

characters

Applies to: SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and later.

A literal, variable, or function call of any non-LOB character type (nvarchar, varchar, nchar, or char) containing characters that should be removed. nvarchar(max) and varchar(max) types aren't allowed.

Return types

Returns a character expression with a type of string argument where the space character char(32) or other specified characters are removed from the end of a character_expression. Returns NULL if input string is NULL.

Remarks

To enable the optional characters positional argument, enable database compatibility level 160 on the database(s) that you are connecting to when executing queries.

Examples

A. Remove trailing spaces

The following example takes a string of characters that has spaces at the end of the sentence, and returns the text without the spaces at the end of the sentence.

SELECT RTRIM('Removes trailing spaces.   ');

Here's the result set.

Removes trailing spaces.

B. Remove trailing spaces with a variable

The following example demonstrates how to use RTRIM to remove trailing spaces from a character variable.

DECLARE @string_to_trim VARCHAR(60);  
SET @string_to_trim = 'Four spaces are after the period in this sentence.    ';  
SELECT @string_to_trim + ' Next string.';  
SELECT RTRIM(@string_to_trim) + ' Next string.';  
GO

Here's the result set.

Four spaces are after the period in this sentence.     Next string.

Four spaces are after the period in this sentence. Next string.

C. Remove specified characters from the end of a string

Important

You will need your database compatibility level set to 160 to use the optional characters argument.

The following example removes the characters abc. from the end of the .123abc. string.

SELECT RTRIM('.123abc.' , 'abc.');

Here's the result set.

.123

See also